The Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) is increasingly applying an integrated approach to various defence projects. The frigates of the Formidable class are a good example of this approach. We speak to a DSTA member who played a critical role in the design of the frigates’ integrated systems.

By John Yip

The Formidable class frigates, when completed, will enable the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) to undertake a wide spectrum of missions and more effectively carry out its missions of defending Singapore and its vital Sea Lines of Communications. The six vessels of this class represent a new wave in naval technology. Each frigate is controlled by a Ship Management System (SMS) that is designed to closely integrate its various control systems.

The high level of automation makes it possible for the RSN to operate each frigate with only 70 men. This is a remarkable feat because it usually takes about 100 men to operate a sophisticated vessel of this size.

The credit for this achievement goes to the engineers of the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and their industry partners. And Seow Kok Tiong, now 33, served as the Project Manager in charge of designing the revolutionary SMS.

Becoming an engineer

“I loved engineering from young. I like building things, and I want to be able to show these things to my children,” smiles Kok Tiong, who is the father of one baby girl, and to another child who will be born soon.

“I am especially fascinated by how networks work. I find it interesting because this is where I see technology heading in the future. It will be an inter-connected world made possible by communications technology.”

Kok Tiong graduated with a B.Eng. (Electrical & Electronic) qualification from the Nanyang Technological University in 1998. He joined DSTA upon graduation and has been with the organisation for the last eight years.

“I joined DSTA because I wanted a career that has a direct impact on present and future generations of Singaporeans. I chose to contribute by being an engineer who works directly in defence technology,” Kok Tiong says with pride.

Kok Tiong joined DSTA’s Naval Systems Division. At that time, the RSN was in the process of upgrading its aging fleet of Landing Ship Tanks (LST), and Kok Tiong soon participated in the project.

“It was the first time that we were attempting to build an Integrated Bridge System (IBS), that is to integrate the different navigation systems into one console,” explains Kok Tiong.

The project turned out to be a huge success, and Kok Tiong’s team was awarded the Defence Technology Prize in 2001 for their technological contributions to the defence capability of Singapore.

Hybrid engineers

The LST project established a new trend within DSTA, where engineers from different programmes work together on a single project.

“I was one of the first engineers at DSTA to be involved in both combat and platform systems,” recalls Kok Tiong, who had also served as the overall trial manager for the LST’s combat systems. He light-heartedly refers to himself as a “hybrid engineer” as a result.

Indeed, as DSTA becomes increasingly programme-centric, an engineer like Kok Tiong, with expertise in networks, communications and signals technology, can be easily re-deployed to projects within the Air Force or the Army should the need arise.

This easy transfer of skills is facilitated by DSTA’s new training approach. The DSTA College was established in August 2004 to conduct milestone courses on defence systems engineering and project management. The aim is to groom more engineers who are capable of working in multiple roles, in spite of their various fields of specialisation.

A training plan is laid out for each DSTA engineer, and his programme manager is responsible for developing this training plan together with the engineer.

“A young engineer will be given a lot of on-the-job training, supported with relevant technical courses,” explains Kok Tiong. “Ultimately, the programme manager only plays an advisory role. The engineer is still given the autonomy to apply his knowledge and skills to any task.”

Managing integrated project teams

After the LST, the RSN frigates represented the next big challenge for DSTA. The degree of complex integration involved meant that for the first time, people from other parts of DSTA, not just from the Naval Systems Division, was part of the Integrated Programme Management Team (IPMT).

Kok Tiong was still undergoing his Masters in Communication and Signal Processing at Imperial College when he was appointed the Project Manager in late 2003.

“I was put in-charge of managing the budget and schedule, as well as the technical aspects of integrating the combat and platform systems that formed the frigate’s Ship Management System (SMS),” describes Kok Tiong.

Traditionally, a ship’s combat and platform systems are stand-alone systems. Over the years however, it became apparent that these systems work very closely together in actual operations. The frigate’s SMS thus represents a radically new approach to naval systems design that utilises sophisticated networks to link the computers of both the combat and platform systems together.

The networked approach meant that it was no longer possible to have teams of specialised engineers, each focusing on only one sub-system. Instead, Kok Tiong worked closely with engineers from various programmes over one and a half years to make the SMS possible.

“I was fortunate to have the support of a very cooperative team of engineers,” recalls Kok Tiong. “Even though we worked quite independently, we conducted regular meetings to make sure that we’re all on the same track.”

As the Project Manager, Kok Tiong kept the overall objectives of the SMS as the top priority. “Of course, different people will have different perspectives, but as the integrator, I had to strive for the optimal solution, to achieve a ‘win-win’ result,” says Kok Tiong.

Working with the French

Kok Tiong joined the team of around 15 engineers at the Resident Programme Office (RPO) at Lorient, France, where the RSS Formidable, the first stealth frigate, was designed and constructed.

“It would have been difficult to keep in touch with our French counterparts via teleconferencing due to the language barrier,” explains Kok Tiong. “By being there in person, it was possible for us to demonstrate what we wanted through drawings and presentations.”

Kok Tiong has a lot of fond memories of his time in France. “The French taught us how to drink wine and we taught them how to yam seng,/i>,” he says with a laugh.

On a more serious note, he observes that the project was never a one-way transfer of technology. “DSTA was reducing the manpower required to operate the frigate, so it was also an opportunity for the French to study how we optimised our manpower by harnessing technology,” reveals Kok Tiong.

The voyage home

The RSS Formidable was launched at the DCN shipyards in January 2004, and it began its maiden voyage back home to Singapore in mid 2005. Kok Tiong enjoyed the privilege of being part of this momentous journey. He accompanied the RSN crew as they travelled from France to South Africa.

“The maiden voyage was an opportunity to observe the ship’s performance. More importantly, the voyage offered a very good opportunity for us to build rapport with the ship’s crew. It is very important to appreciate how they operated the ship’s systems and their feedback allows us to make further improvements to the systems,” shares Kok Tiong.

Looking back on his career so far, Kok Tiong feels proud of everything he has achieved. “For all I know, my daughter may one day serve onboard a ship that I’ve designed. With that in mind, I made sure that the ship will take good care of her!” he says with a laugh.